The biennial event in Andorra la Vella focuses on digital influences, AI, sustainability, and reinventing

The 13th World Congress on Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism opens today at the Congress Centre in Andorra la Vella, running through March 27 with around 20 international experts, more than 250 in-person participants and roughly 100 joining online.

Held biennially by the Andorran government and the seven parishes, this year's event centres on "The Destination Under Digital Influence". Maria del Mar Coma, mayor of Ordino, and Jordi Torres, minister of tourism and commerce, presented details on Tuesday. Torres described it as an international forum to foresee sector challenges, build partnerships, develop best practices and inform public policy. He called it "also a laboratory of ideas to test policies, learn from other mountain regions and enrich collective thinking on the tourism model we want to build".

The programme focuses on three pillars: reinventing mountain destinations to tackle seasonality; prioritising wellbeing and quality of life through "disconnecting to reconnect"; and leveraging digital tools and AI to enhance management, direct visitor flows and protect the environment. Organisers, supported by Andorra Telecom and sponsored by Creand, see AI as key to forecasting trends, curbing overcrowding and balancing innovation with sustainability, while weighing risks such as ethical issues and erosion of authenticity.

Afternoon sessions extend beyond lectures with experiential activities, including the immersive cultural performance "El Somni de Don Guillem", a wellness offering at l’Era del Raser, and high-mountain gastronomy showcasing national identity.

Dr Àlex Connock, a media and AI expert, will open proceedings with insights on AI's creative potential for mountain destinations. The new UN Tourism secretary general, Shaikha Al Nowais, is also confirmed to attend.

Coma stressed that AI already influences organisational routines and will shape tourism's future, pushing destinations to adapt for resilience amid technological shifts. Full programme details, registration and updates on speakers are available at mountainlikers.com.